Synopsis

The Seven Seas by Bill Slavin

When a young student begins to daydream in the middle of a geography lesson, his imagination carries him away on an adventure by boat, by train, by mule, and by yak. As he searches out each of the seven seas, he discovers a colorful and hilarious world that no teacher could have imagined. Bright, whimsical paintings from Bill Slavin and Esperanca Melo perfectly complement Ellen Jackson's humorous rhymed verse, and an informative section of facts and additional resources at the end of the book will encourage children to learn more about seas and oceans. The Seven Seas will take readers on an unforgettable, rollicking trek to the seven seas and beyond.

Reviews

Bank Street College, Best Children's Books of the Year

-and-white striped jumper, joins the silliness; in the Green Sea, he scuba dives amid a broccoli reef, and in the Red Sea, he paddles an upside-down mushroom. The exaggeration of the acrylic, textured illustrations and rhymes create an inventive and humorous approach to learning about geography. Backmatter includes further resources and 'Fun Facts about Seas and Oceans. Publishers Weekly

'Yes, I have seen the seven seas, / I've checked them off my list./ Can you surmise which ones are lies, / and which of them exist?'

, heavily sculpted spreads whose more fanciful ideas (such as fish made of lemon slices in the lemonade waters of the Yellow Sea) are overshadowed by the comically exaggerated cartoon action. Despite the attempt to wrangle a book built on silliness into an aquatic lesson, Jackson's daydream visions contain pleasing elements (the Brown Sea's 'whipped cream foam is home sweet home/ to brownish, clownish bears') that should entertain. School Library Journal

-believe bodies of water is presented with Jackson's rhyming couplets and Slavin's and Melo's whimsical creatures who surf, scuba dive, sunbathe, and paddle on imaginary oceans and beaches. Only when the teacher rolls up the world map does the rabbit snap out of his reverie and focus on the real task of understanding the seven seas that were identified back in the Middle Ages. . . the geography and science content in the back is valuable, and this title will be a hit where the format of blending fiction and nonfiction is popular.